Improvement in freight-car doors



Patented May 6,1879.

G. OB'RIEN. Freight-Gar Door.

N-PETERS. FNOTO-UTHQGMPHER. WASHINGTON. D c.

5 %\m\ v 4 .4 0 gmxw 1 MW UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GARRET OBRIEN, OF WESTFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN FREIGHT-CAR DOORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 215,0] 9, dated May 6, 1879; application filed November 22, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GARRET OBRIEN, of Westfield, county of Hampden, and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Freight-Gar Doors, in fastenin gs therefor, and in guiding-tracks for them to slide in, which improvements are fully set forth in the annexed specification and in the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to that class of cardoors which are arranged to slide back and forth on the side of a freight-car; and consists in a peculiar construction of the track in which the door slides, the construction of the frame surrounding the door, so as to provide a convenient and expeditious means for removing a door from a car, and a door provided with a fastening-latch, both constructed and adapted to operate with the before mentioned track and frame.

The object of my invention is to provide a more solid and durably-constructed car-door and frame than has heretofore been made-- that is to say, one less likely to be injured, displaced, or disabled by any ordinary abrasion that moving trains are often subjected to, and which frequently pushes the doors open or tears them off; also, to provide a track for the door to slide in, of such a construction that it must keep its position, and present, as nearly as practicable, a frictionless course upon which the door can slide.

Referring to the drawings, which consist of four figures, Figure 1 shows that portion of a side of a car on which the door is secured, with my improved door and frame thereon, the door being shown as shut. Fig. 2 presents the same view as Fig. 1, excepting that it shows the door open, one end of the frame removed, and a portion of the front side of the track broken away to show the ends of the rollers and bolts therein. Fig. 3 is a transverse section through both sides of the door-track and through one of the friction-rollers and its center bolt. Fig. 4 is an end view of the track, showing the position of the guard-blocks between the trackbar.

In the drawings, Ais the side of the car. B is the door. 0 is the top strap of the doorframe. act are vertical side posts of the frame.

I) is the front bar of the door-track. b is the rear bar. 6 is a roller-bearing on bolt 6. e are bolts securing the parts constituting the door-track together and t0 the side of the car. t'is a roller. h is a removable block bolted on at the end of the door-track. dis a latch. 0 is a handle. n are guard blocks under the door-track. n is a guard-block at the end of the track.

Like letters refer to like parts in the different figures.

Freight-car doors, as ordinarily constructed and hung to the car, are made with grooved rollers attached to the bottom of the door, and a track consisting of a bar of fiat iron is bolted flatwise to blocks on the side of the car under the door, on the edge of which the door rides to open and shut. For a fastening there is usually employed a hook-hasp and staple.

The above construction and arrangement of door, track, and fastening present, in practice, many inconveniences, and entail quite frequent repairs.

To obviate the above objections, I construct the track for my car-door as shown in Fig. 3, consisting of two flat bars of iron, I) and b, arranged parallel to each other, and having interposed between their inner faces roller-bearings e and rollers i, the latter being a little shorter than the former. The rollers are slipped upon the bearings placed between the bars, and a bolt, 6, is inserted through bars I) b and roller-bearing e, and tightly screwed up. Thus the bars and roller-bearings will be tightly screwed together, and the rollers i will be left free to turn on their bearings e. The rollers are set at such distances apart as will conveniently allow the insertion between them of the bolts 00, which pass through the upper ends of guard-blocks n and through the side of the car to secure the track thereon. The upper ends of said guard-blocks a reach up between bars b b, and being bolted with the track to the car very much strengthen it, and prevent its being easily displaced or injured.

When the rollers and guard-blocks are secured in place between the bars b b, as above described, sufficient space is left between said blocks and rollers to allow any dirt to fall down between them, thus keeping the track strap 0 and the track that it can be convent iently removed by taking out bolts s, and by taking off guard-block l1, and thus the door can be drawn out of the track, as partly shown in Fig. 2, and removed for repairs or otherwise.

Upon the outside of the door, iust above the edge of bar I), I hang a latch, 11. having a projection on its lower edge, which, when the door i is open or shut, drops into notches f 1 cut in the upper edge of bar 1!, and retains the door in either of those two positions. This latch is easily reached from the ground, and is intended to be employed for seeurin; the door temporarily or from station to station, and not to supersede the ordinary hasp-hook and staple.

A Vertical bolt arranged to drop into said notches may be used on the door in place of latch d; but it could not be so compactly made, and would necessitate the employment of more parts in its construction.

The door B has its ends properly faced, and

its bottom edge shod with iron, as shown, so that its parts in contact with strap (J and the track and rollers i may not so wear as to offer any unusual resistance to the movements of the door.

I do not claim, broadly, a slidingdoor track consisting of friction-rollers operating between two guide. bars or rails, as that is not new; but

hat I claim as my invention is 1. In combination with the car-door B, the door-track consisting of the notched barb and back bar I), rollers i, roller-bearings c, and bolts e, and the top strap (J, and side posts a a, all constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A oar-door frame consisting of the top strap side posts a a, and a door-track consisting of the bars I) b, rollers i, roller-bearingse, and bolts 0, and the guardblock n, and end block 11, constructed and arranged to receive the sliding door B, substantially as set forth.

3. The door-track consisting of the bars I) b, rollers 1, roller-bearings e, and bolts 0', in combination with the guard-blocks n, having their upper ends bolted between bars I; b, and end block b, all constructed and arranged substantially as set forth.

GARRET OBRIEN.

In presence ot' H. A. UHAPIN, L. W. PHELPS. 

